Heat Haze Nightmare
by joystersm
Summary: When Blanca starts having nightmares about her brother, she decides to do something to change it. Based of the lyrics of Heat-Haze Days by Jin. One-shot.


_Hey guys! This is my first one-shot that I've deemed worthy of sharing. It's based off Kagerou (Heat-Haze) Days by Jin. I listened to the Soraru cover, though. Also, this is kind of a prequel to a longer fanfiction I'm writing. Which is why Black and White had their names changed. I followed the lyric translation by Karunarotsu pretty closely in order to write this. But anyways, enjoy!_

* * *

I check the time on my phone again. The screen shows _AUG 15, 12:30 _in block letters against the background of the ocean near our house. The weather is really nice, and despite the sun bearing down there is a nice breeze coming off the ocean.

"Y'know," Blake starts saying, "I don't really like summer. There's nothing to do. The only thing we could think of was to sit here at the park." The Purrloin that's been following him around lately is sitting in his lap.

"That's not a bad thing," I tell him. "This is the first time I've actually seen you sit down and relax in who knows how long. You're always trying to train. The League isn't going anywhere, you know."

Blake shrugs and focuses on petting the black cat. Suddenly, it stands up and bolts out onto Route 1. "Wait!" Blake calls after it. "Where are you going?"

"It's not gonna respond," I tell him, but he doesn't hear me. He's already following after it. Well, I guess he got his wish of something to do. I run after my brother, trying my best to keep up with him.

When I catch him on the other side of the field, he shushes me and points towards Accumula Town. "Look," he whispers. "That Purrloin must belong to Team Plasma."

"And that surprises you?" I whisper back. "Look, we know who its owner is. Now let's go back." He doesn't budge. "Blake, it's not your pokemon. Catch one for yourself if you really want it."

"It's not that!" Blake insists. "You know those grunts tend to abuse their pokemon. We should try to help it."

"But that makes you no better than them!" I grab his shoulder and try to turn him around. "I don't understand what's so important about such a little pokemon like that Purrloin."

Blake starts to shush me again, but I was too loud and we've attracted the attention of the grunts lingering on the town's border. "See what you did?" he whispers angrily to me.

"You were the one that followed that stupid cat!"

One of the grunts steps closer, becoming the lead of her group. "Oh, look. Two little trainers that wandered away from home." Her uniform is all monotone, a gray bodysuit under a black vest with black boots and gloves. Short black hair sticks out from under her hat. "Do you two even have any pokemon of your own?"

Blake growls. "Of course we do!" Ugh, why can't he just keep his mouth shut? He's going to get us into trouble!

The girl pulls a pokeball from her belt. "Oh? It sounds to me like you want to battle."

Blake starts to do the same, but I latch onto his arm to stop him. "Blake, no! You know this won't end well. Let's go home and forget this."

He turns around to face me. "Blanca, I have to help that Purrloin. You can go home, but I'm going to fight them."

Damn him and his one-track mind. "Fine, I'll battle too," I say bitterly.

Another grunt steps forward, this one with bubblegum pink hair. "I'll battle you then," she states. "Chris can handle the boy."

The black-haired girl, Chris, tosses her pokeball up into the air. I can only hope that we can get out on the winning side of this.

* * *

My battle has long since ended with a victory for me, but Blake is still fighting Chris. She's a lot stronger than Blake must have assumed. Chris calls out her last pokemon, the Purrloin that he is so attached to. "Didn't see that coming, did you?" Chris mocks.

"A battle's a battle!" Blake tries to sound unbothered, but he's worn out from the long fight and her icing on the cake isn't making it any better. Her friend, my opponent, has already left.

"Let me battle for you," I insist again.

"No," Blake shoots it down. "This is mine alone."

Chris laughs. "Such sense of dignity. But really, how will that help you if you lose? You'll still have to hand over your pokemon if I win."

Blake grits his teeth. Her demand isn't one that Team Plasma normally makes, but it's still a heavy price. "Brav, Aerial Ace!"

"Purrloin, Night Slash!" Chris commands. The attack lands as a critical hit and Brav struggles to stay upright.

"Brav!" Blake cries. "Are you ok?"

Chris laughs. "Your Braviary is close to fainting. What will you do? You know, if you join us you'll be allowed to keep your pokemon. But if you lose this battle, you'll be forced to hand them over."

He waits a long time, thinking it over. What is going through his head? He calls back Brav. Chris smirks. "I'm sorry, Blanc," he says to me quietly.

_"Blake, no!"_

* * *

_Tick tick tick._ I roll over on my bed. The alarm clock says it's sometime past noon. I must have slept in.

At the park, I tell Blake about the feeling of deja vu that's been bothering me since we got there. I leave out my crazy dream, though. It would probably put him in really dark mood.

"That's weird." Blake jumps off the swing and lands gracefully on his feet in the mulch. "What day is it again? The summer totally screws me over with dates."

I pull my phone out. "It's the 14th." A little strange, considering my dream last night would have taken place tomorrow then. "Do you want to go get lunch? I haven't had anything yet to eat today."

Blake laughs. "Sure." He leads the way into Accumula Town, towards a cafe that we stop at sometimes. He gets a weird look on his face, though, and continues past it.

"Blake, what are you doing?" I ask him worriedly.

He doesn't respond, stopping near the center of the town. There seems to be someone giving a speech in the little grassy area, and a lot of people have gathered around. It's not like Blake knew about this beforehand, so what has gotten his attention?

From the edge of the crowd, I can't hear the speech. We're a little too far away and everyone is whispering, blocking out the words with hushed tones. Blake, however, seems to be affected in some way. His eyes are glazed over like when he empties out his mind.

"Blake? You ok?" I ask him.

He turns to me. I gasp. Having a straight-on look at his face, I can tell that his eyes are blank. Vacant. Like he's been hypnotized rather than had Musha eat his dream so he can focus on other things. "He was right."

"Who? Right about what?" I ask in a panic, wondering what the heck has gotten into him.

"My pokemon would be happier on their own," he says too monotone. It's like someone else is talking in his voice.

"What are you saying?" I shake Blake by the shoulders. "Your pokemon love you."

"I should release them," Blake says emptily.

His statement is so absurd that I drop my hands. "What? No! Blake, can you hear yourself talking? What about your dream, to be Champion? Your pokemon share that with you! How are you going to become Champion without your team?"

Blake keeps quiet and starts walking away from me. What's wrong with him?! I try to chase after him, but the crowd shifts and I lose him in the mass of people. He's gone when I get free again. I turn around in circles, scan the entire crowd, but Blake's nowhere to be seen.

I manage to find a bench and plop down, feeling the weight of what just happened. I can't let my brother do something stupid like that, because he's surely going to regret it when he comes to. However, how do I stop him when I can't even find him in a tiny place like this? And what if he never snaps out it, walking around forever as a shell?

I watch the crowd, fighting back tears. It's impossible to protect my little brother all the time, but it's horrible to think that everything he worked for would be erased like that. A flash of bright green catches my eye, but then it's gone.

* * *

"So? What will you do?" Chris asks. I must be having the same nightmare again. "You're not going to win, either way. Pick your poison."

Blake shoots her a cold stare, but she's unfazed by it. He's desperate for a third way out. A way to rescue the Purrloin and save his own pokemon. It's not going to work. "Brav, Air Slash!"

Chris laughs. "Dodge it, Purrloin." The black pokemon steps out of the way and Blake's attack misses. His Braviary is worn out from such a long battle. "You're digging your own grave. However, if you join me, you can keep your pokemon. What do you say?"

Blake considers the option. I know he's going to choose it. It's what he did last time. Before he can accept, though, I step in front of him. "I'll go with you instead."

My statement takes both of them off guard. "What? Blanca, no! This is my battle!" Blake protests.

Chris thinks over it for a second before shrugging. "You're offering to take his place? A daring proposition, if you ask me. I'll accept it, though. If you come with me, the boy can keep his pokemon."

"Will you promise to leave my brother alone from now on?" I ask boldly. This is only a dream, after all. A loop of nightmares. I'm just trying a new approach. "You and all of your friends."

Chris smirks. "I can't promise for the others, but I will try and convince them to not bother your brother after this." She holds a hand out. "Are those your terms?"

I glance back to my brother. He looks horrified, and scared. "Yes. If my brother is left alone from this point on, I will join you."

"Blanca, you can't-"

"Blake, it's my choice. Become Champion like you've dreamed of, ok?" I really want to rush back and hug him, but I know that will give Chris something to hold over my head. I cross the makeshift battlefield and take her hand.

* * *

Little cold hands grab my arm and try to shake me awake. I open my eyes. A little girl with short brown hair like my brother's and an older boy with black hair are standing over my bed. The boy is holding a Purrloin in his arms. The girl sees that she's succeeded in waking me and grins.

Did I really break the nightmares?

... What did I get myself into?


End file.
